Gosport postal delays: High demand, vacancies and sick absences partly to blame says Royal Mail

Postal delays in Gosport are partly down to high demand, vacancies and higher levels of sick absence than usual, according to the Royal Mail. Gosport Borough Council stated on Friday (September 8) that it was seeking a solution for residents who are experiencing lengthy delays in receiving post from the Royal Mail Service.

Council Leader Peter Chegwyn and Chief Executive Debbie Gore have written to Royal Mail to outline the concerns of residents who say they are only receiving a delivery once or twice a week. They requested Royal Mail provide an explanation of the service shortfall, along with the steps being taken to address the issue.

Cllr Chegwyn said: “The universal postal service requires Royal Mail to deliver mail six days a week, and parcels five days a week, so it is unacceptable that many of our residents are being left waiting days for their post to arrive. Our residents are becoming increasingly frustrated with the quality of service and I urge Royal Mail to explain why this is occurring and to look into how it can be improved.”

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Following the announcement, HampshireLive reached out to the Royal Mail. A spokesperson said: “We are sorry to residents who have experienced delays in Gosport. Improving our quality of service is our top priority, and we are committed to restoring service levels to where our customers expect them to be.

“There have been delays in the area, in part caused by high demand, vacancies and higher levels of sick absence than usual. We have a recruitment plan underway to help resolve this, four new starters have already begun at the delivery office and additional staff are expected.